23 Killed, 70 Wounded In Gaza Strip

Dozens of Israeli tanks and bulldozers backed by missile-firing drone aircraft pushed into the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, touching off a daylong battle that killed 23 Palestinians and wounded at least 70.

At least half the Palestinian dead were fighters from groups including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade; Palestinian medical sources said two young sisters were among at least three children killed.

Throughout the day, in neighborhoods along the shifting front line, masked Palestinian fighters rushed toward the confrontation, many carrying rocket-propelled grenades and spools of wire for laying booby traps in the path of oncoming tanks. A large crowd of young boys gathered to watch, seemingly oblivious to the danger. In one case, a group of children helped hide the wiring of an explosive device.

Wednesday's deaths pushed the toll to about 140 in fighting that began June 25, when militants crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israel, killing two Israeli soldiers and capturing a third.

The clashes took place as global attention and diplomatic efforts were largely focused on Lebanon, where nine Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday in battles with Hezbollah.

The day's violence ended nascent talk of a cease-fire.

"There's no talk at all about a truce anymore," said Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, "No way."

Another Islamic Jihad political leader, Khader Habib, pledged to take his group's fight deep into Israel. Habib called on militants to "carry out martyrdom operations in the heart of Israeli cities." Habib said they would spare civilian lives as much as possible and focus on military targets.

A statement by the Israeli army said the operation, dubbed Samson's Pillars, was meant to "stop the launching of rockets into Israel and destroy terror infrastructure in the area." It said Wednesday's incursion was aimed at orchards used as rocket launch sites and at several buildings used as weapons factories or rocket warehouses.

The army said it would continue to "act with determination and employ all means at its disposal" to end the rocket attacks and rescue captured soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

The escalation in Gaza could indicate a rising sense of Israeli frustration with cross-border rocket attacks launched by Gaza militants and possibly with continuing fighting farther to the north, commentators said.

"The Palestinians in Gaza are meanwhile suffering the IDF's wrath at Hezbollah," wrote Zeev Schiff in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. *